CORTONA | Local History

The 1700 period and the foundation of the Etruscan Academy of Cortona

In 1737, the senior branch of the Medici line went extinct and Cortona came under the authority of the House of Lorraine. In 1727 one of the most important associations in Cortona, that still nowadays is working, was born, : the Etruscan Academy of Cortona. It was set up by a group of researchers from Cortona, with the purpose of exploring the archaeological and historical studies. These intellectuals had also some relationships with the most advanced sectors of the culture of that time. To remark the importance of this academy in the Etruscan researches, and also the roots of the city of Cortona, to the president of the association was given the title of Lucumone, that is the ancient name of the Etruscan governors; and still nowadays the name remained that. Precisely on this year (1727), there is the birth also of the museum of Cortona, when the abbot Onofrio Baldelli gave all his personal museum and library to the academy. To this first museum, as the time passes, many other findings were added, for example the Etruscan chandelier, one of the most important Etruscan findings made during the 19th century. in the course of 20th century, one of the most important people inside the Etruscan Academy was Girolamo Mancini, the most outstanding historian from Cortona, that studied all the ancient period of Cortona, and added to the library many manuscripts, from which the most important one is the Laudario Cortonese. Then, after the second world war, the Etruscan Academy had its important position in all the area of Cortona and not only. In fact, there are many collaborations with other museum and association in Italy and all over the world that has been made by the Etruscan Academy.